Drawing the News: Of Melons and Men

City management officials (chengguan), a sort of para-police force patrolling the streets, are known for their brutality towards street vendors throughout China. But harassment and beatings are one thing. Rarely does a confrontation with chengguan end in death.

Cartoons reflecting on Deng’s death, the support of his fellow villagers, and the police response have cropped up on Weibo. CDT has collected the handful below. CDT Chinese has even more.

Click any image to launch gallery view.

“This is called the civilized law enforcement all-in-one package...” A chengguan dealt Deng a fatal blow with a steelyard weight, which this officer has slipped off a handheld weight to swing around with pride. The man on the right holds the badge of the officer who hit Deng with the weight; Deng grabbed the badge as he was being assaulted. (Dashixiong)

A peaceful “Chinese dream” of sharing watermelon with chengguan, and the brutal reality. (Mengchenshang)

What is the “weight” of a human life? (Xiao Mao)

Can we measure its fragility? (Qin Chengzhen)

Crushed by the weight of Linwu, drenching all of China in watermelon juice. (Kuang Biao)